The 2020 Emmy Awards

In this video grab captured on Sept. 20, 2020, courtesy of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and ABC Entertainment, John Oliver accepts the award for outstanding variety talk series for "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" during the 72nd Emmy Awards broadcast.

John Oliver thanked all the other hosts for “working so hard” as he accepted the Emmy for “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” while wearing a maroon hoodie and describing how he had not seen his crew in six months.

Claude Taylor and Jessie Bahrey are the duo behind the popular and endlessly entertaining Twitter account @ratemyskyperoom.

On the first virtual Emmy night in the show’s history, when celebrities are walking on their living room carpet instead of the red carpet, Taylor and Bahrey will be guest rating celebrity backgrounds for CNN. 

In their first critique, they take on the “Schitt’s Creek” team, who swept the comedy categories and celebrated with each other at a fancy-looking (and socially distant) cast party.

Here’s what Bahrey said:

Have you been reading our coverage here?

If so you should have known “Schitt’s Creek” was going to win because it’s been killing all night.

Co-creators Eugene Levy and his son Daniel accepted the award and the elder had some words of praise for his progeny.

“I also want to thank once again this young man who who took our fish out of water story about the Rose family and transformed it into a celebration of inclusivity, a castigation of homophobia and a declaration of the power of love,” Eugene Levy said.

Oh, and we got to see Jason Sudeikis get swabs shoved up his nose in a joke about Covid-19 tests before he presented the award.

“Schitt’s Creek” Daniel Levy is sweeping up tonight’s Emmys, but is appreciating the moment.

He took a moment during his one of his wins to share a message: Go Vote.

Levy urged viewers to go register to vote “because that is the only way that we are going to have some love and acceptance out there. Please do that.”

Annie Murphy brought “a little bit Alexis” to her Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series for “Schitt’s Creek,” wearing her A necklace as she accepted the award in front of a tearful Daniel Levy.

“The internet is about to turn on me, I’m so sorry.”

That’s what Daniel Levy said after he won the Emmy for supporting actor in a comedy series and continued the wave of “Schitt’s Creek” wins tonight.

To say Levy was giddy, is an understatement.

“To play David Rose, this has been the greatest experience of my life,” he said.

OK we are up to five wins for the spectacular “Schitt’s Creek.” Deservedly so.

Daniel Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Annie Murphy, and Eugene Levy.

If you were wondering how the Emmy winners were receiving their trophies at home, you can thank Ramy Youssef for clueing us in.

Youssef posted a video on Twitter showing a person in a hazmat suit waving goodbye and leaving with the Emmy after he didn’t win.

So on brand for 2020.

In this video grab captured on Sept. 20, 2020, courtesy of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and ABC Entertainment, Daniel Levy accepts the award for outstanding writing for a comedy series for "Schitt's Creek" during the 72nd Emmy Awards broadcast.

“Schitt’s Creek” creator and star Daniel Levy won outstanding writing for a comedy series tonight.

He said writing his character David Rose has “been the greatest, most cathartic experience in his life.”

He also thanked his father Eugene Levy (who just won his own Emmy for starring on the show) and also took a moment to shine a light on “Insecure” as he gave his speech.

The pandemic has been good to DJ D-Nice.

Not that he wasn’t well known, having been a part of hip hop since the 1980s.

But his “Club Quarantine” on Instagram Live has become THE PLACE to party, drawing hundreds of thousands of people including former First Lady Michelle Obama.

So it makes total sense that he was chosen to DJ the Emmy Awards this year.

Just because it’s viral, doesn’t mean that it can’t also be the jam.

Eugene Levy took home an Emmy tonight for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series for “Schitt’s Creek.”

“I guess it’s kind of ironical that the straightest role I’ve ever played lands me an Emmy for a comedy performance so now I seriously have to question just what I’ve been doing for the past 50 years,” he joked.

He went on to thank his cast, the production team and his family.

Levy plays Johnny Rose alongside Catherine O’Hara who also picked up an Emmy tonight for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series.

Catherine O’Hara won the first award of the night, outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for “Schitt’s Creek.”

The award was announced by Jennifer Aniston and the envelope was “sanitized” by host Jimmy Kimmel, including burning it.

O’Hara thanked several people including the show’s creators, Daniel Levy and his father Eugene Levy who also costarred as the son and husband of her character, Moira Rose.

The actress, who was with her fellow cast members for her win, gave a nod to quarantining.

“May you have as much joy being holed up in a room with your family, as I did with my dear Roses,” she said.

In this video grab captured on Sept. 20, 2020, courtesy of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and ABC Entertainment, host Jimmy Kimmel speaks during the 72nd Emmy Awards broadcast.

According to Jimmy Kimmel, “You can’t have a virus without a host.”

The host of the virtual Emmy Awards had plenty of jokes about the unusual circumstances of 2020 and they had an unusual way of approaching it.

Kimmel appeared on stage, with a laugh track and audience footage from the past when it was safer to gather in groups. He then welcomed everyone to the “PandEmmys.”

Amid the funnies about the world as it is and having to show “Schitt’s Creek” every time it was taken, the host let it be known what it was really all about.

“The world may be terrible, but TV has never been better,” he said.

He also revealed that the theater was actually empty, but with cutouts of celebs — and actor Jason Bateman who was the lone live person in the audience.

“Of course I’m here all alone,” Kimmel teased. “This isn’t a MAGA rally.”

Instead we got to see celebs, live at home, waiting to learn if they had won. And as Kimmel joked, with 100 different live feeds going on, what could go wrong?

The Emmys has started tonight and host Jimmy Kimmel has taken the stage live from the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Remember: The Emmys will be staged virtually, with nominees staying home due to the coronavirus pandemic. Producers dispatched 130 cameras into the field to capture the action.

The beloved cast of “Schitt’s Creek” has managed to pull off a reunion for the 2020 Emmys.

The show’s official Instagram posted an announcement along with a series of pictures of the cast all dressed up in front of a wall of flowers.

Show creator and star Dan Levy

Annie Murphy

The great Catherine O’Hara

Eugene Levy

Jessica Biel took to Instagram with a throwback to the 2018 Emmys, when she and husband Justin Timberlake — along with all the other stars — actually attended in person. 

That year, Biel was nominated for “The Sinner,” and captioned a shot of the couple holding hands: “Once upon a time, a long LONG time ago … Mom and Dad put on some real clothes and stayed out past midnight.”

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, host Jimmy Kimmel will host to, well, pretty much no one at the Staples Center in Los Angeles tonight.

The nominees will be watching and accepting their awards from home.

The Emmy Award nominations were announced virtually this summer by Leslie Jones, Laverne Cox, Josh Gad and Tatiana Maslany.

Here’s how some of the nominees reacted:

Uzo Aduba, supporting actress, limited series or a movie for “Mrs. America”:

Rachel Brosnahan, outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”:

Tituss Burgess, outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or movie for “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”:

Kerry Washington, producer and outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie for “Little Fires Everywhere,” outstanding variety special for “Live In Front of a Studio Audience” and outstanding television movie for “American Son”:

Sterling K. Brown, lead actor in a drama for “This is Us” and supporting actor in a comedy for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”:

Billy Porter, outstanding lead actor in a drama series, “Pose”:

CNN’s Sandra Gonzalez, Marianne Garvey and Lisa France contributed to this report. 

Jasmine Cephas Jones and Ron Cephas Jones attends the "Head Of Passes" opening night celebration at The Public Theater on March 28, 2016 in New York City.

Jasmine Cephas Jones has followed in the footsteps of her actor father, Ron Cephas Jones, and in the process made some Emmys history.

They became the first father-daughter pair to win Emmys in the same year.

She won for outstanding actress in a short form comedy or drama series for her performance in the Quibi series “#FreeRayshawn” while he won for his guest starring role on “This Is Us.”

It was the first Emmy for the “Hamilton” actress and the second for her dad via his “This Is Us” work.

In an interview with CNN prior to her win, Jasmine Cephas Jones spoke with pride about her father.

“One of the reasons why I’m acting is because of him and he’s taught me a lot,” she said. “He’s a great dad, but he’s also a great mentor and to be able to have this moment it’s like full circle for me.”

The Emmy Awards delivered more diversity among the nominees. But there has been some backlash over the nominations falling short on representation.

Some on social media complained that while Billy Porter, who is Black, was nominated for lead actor in a drama series for “Pose,” none of the central trans actors on the show received a nod.

In the acting categories, 33% of the nominees are Black, compared with 14% the five years prior, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times. 

Their analysis found that performers of color made up 37% of the total of nominations overall, which is 6% more than in any of the past five years.

While “Ramy” became the first Muslim American sitcom to score a nomination with co-creator and star Ramy Youssef earning noms for outstanding lead actor and outstanding directing in a comedy series, there was less to celebrate for other minorities.

Asian artists were not well represented, despite the third consecutive Emmy nomination for Sandra Oh in the lead actress in a drama series category for “Killing Eve.”

Oh made history in 2018 as the first woman of Asian descent to be nominated in a lead actress category.

The lack of Latinx representation — most notably EGOT winner Rita Moreno for her work in the comedy “One Day At a Time” — led Daily Beast writer Laura Bradley to highlight that “Tuesday’s Emmy nominations included only one Latinx actor, Outstanding Guest in a Drama Series nominee Alexis Bledel.”

Here’s a list of some of the nominees:

Outstanding lead actor in a limited series or TV movie

Outstanding lead actress in a limited series or TV movie

Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series

Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series

Outstanding lead actor in a drama series

Outstanding lead actress in a drama series

“Ramy” is the first Muslim American sitcom to receive an Emmy nomination.

Ramy Youssef, the show’s co-creator and star, was nominated for outstanding lead actor and outstanding directing in a comedy series. Co-star Mahershala Ali earned a nod for his season two supporting role.

In the show, Ramy Hassan (Youssef), a first-generation Egyptian American, struggles to balance his cultural and religious values alongside his American millennial ways. “Ramy” celebrates the Muslim faith while laying bare a host of community issues.

Although “Ramy” focuses on a Muslim American character, the show found a wide audience with millennials of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds who could relate to the character’s anxiety over his romantic life, career aspirations and overbearing parents.

In January, Youssef won a Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a television series.

Jennifer Aniston is using Emmys prep time for some self care. 

“The Morning Show” star took to Instagram to show off her majorly comfortable pajamas with matching robe. She completed her relaxed look with a rubber band on her wrist and a face mask — the relaxing kind. 

“Emmys prep… in my other mask,” she wrote. “Congratulations to the nominees and all of the amazing performances we’ve seen this year.”

Her “Morning” co-star Mark Duplass commented, “My dude! Lookin great.”

Earlier he was interviewed by “E! Live From the Red Carpet” rocking his own pajama shirt under a tuxedo jacket. 

Hopefully we’ll see some acceptance speeches straight from bed.

Nominations for the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards include a diverse mix of shows, including “The Mandalorian,” “Insecure” and “Schitt’s Creek.”

Netflix dominated with 160 nominations, as new services like Disney+, Apple TV+ also made their mark.

Here’s a list of tonight’s nominations:

Outstanding comedy series

Outstanding drama series

Outstanding limited Series

Outstanding reality/competition series

Outstanding variety talk series

Giuliana Rancic attends the 71st Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 22, in Los Angeles.

Giuliana Rancic shared on Sunday why she wasn’t covering E!’s Emmys pre-show coverage in person.

“Hey, everyone. As I go into my 20th year on the E! red carpet I have to say I do not take missing an award show lightly, but unfortunately this year is just so different,” Rancic said in a message reported by her network. “As part of E! and NBCUniversal’s very strict testing guidelines, especially before an event like this, I did find out that I tested positive for COVID-19. Now as much as I didn’t want to hear that, I’m very thankful I heard it before I traveled and possibly could have exposed other people. So for that, I’m thankful.”

She added that she was doing well and gave an update on her husband, Bill Rancic, and their son, Duke.

“My husband Bill and our son also did test positive, but we’re all doing well and taking care each other so I’m going to get back to doing that,” she said. “But I just want to say I’m wishing you all the best and please protect yourselves and protect those around you. Take good care and I’ll see you on the next red carpet.” 

Her colleague, “Nightly Pop’s” Nina Parker, filled in for Rancic.

So what if Zendaya doesn’t have a red carpet to walk on?

Even though the 2020 Emmys Awards are virtual, the singer “arrived” in major glam. 

The “Euphoria” star showed off her look on Instagram, twirling in a purple Christopher John Rogers dress, sparkly Bulgari jewelry, and a stunning pair of Christian Louboutin crystal-embellished heels. 

Her stylist Law Roach took to Instagram to share the video, writing that there was more to come and that this was only “look one” of the night. 

The Twitter account @ratemyskyperoom will be provide some commentary tonight for CNN’s live coverage of the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards on ABC.

The account — which awards a numeric rating to the settings that appear behind notable names during virtual appearances on cable news and other television programs — started off as a series of funny exchanges between a dating duo separated by an international border during a pandemic.

Months later, the account, which has gained responses from the likes of Hillary Clinton and followers like Jason Bateman and Ava DuVernay, is the unofficial authority on the art of the video call background. As Hollywood sets the stage for a major virtual event with the Emmy Awards, it’s also more relevant than ever.

Emmy producers have said they’ll have as many as 140 live camera feeds from the homes and other locales where nominees will be “attending” the show.

Claude Taylor, the chair of a left-leaning political action committee called Mad Dog, and his girlfriend Jessie Bahrey, who lives in Vancouver, never intended to become experts in background design. But with almost 300,000 followers and scores of high-profile fans, the influence wielded by the, in Taylor’s words, “fluffy Twitter account” is undeniable.

Taylor offered these tips on creating an award-winning background:

The virtual Emmy Awards will be live tonight, and the producers fully anticipating that there will be foul-ups and planning to roll with that as best they can.

The first major entertainment industry awards since the pandemic struck will be broadcast on ABC and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, who told the Hollywood Reporter that he enjoys “putting myself in difficult situations. So if the worst happens and it all breaks down, there will definitely be a part of me that is amused by it.”

Here’s what you need to know: